A Day In Bokor National Park- Where The French Architecture Stagnates

Nowadays, Cambodia is famous for the old Hindu temples and the lost cities in the distant forests in the tourist’s eyes, but there are more interesting places in Cambodia via Laos Cambodia tour you need to know and discover. One of them is Bokor national park where a hill station was built by the French in the previous century and now it is a national park where the wild nature comes back and flourishes.

An overview of Bokor national park

A Day In Bokor National Park- Where The French Architecture Stagnates

Bokor national park is located in the province of Kampot, Cambodia at the altitude of 1080 meters above the sea level. The main attraction for tourists when coming to this national park is the old French hill station.

History of Bokor national park

As a monsoon tropical country, Cambodia receives a large amount of heat from the sun. So when invading Cambodia, the French got troubles of the weather here. They started to find the places with the more temperate climate to build the resort and villas as a place to rest. For the sake of the French's need, Bokor Hill Station was built in the 1920s as a place to escape the heat of the plains, which was used as a natural air conditioning.

The old French palace is a beautiful building constructed by the French colonizers from 1917 to 1925 to meet the need of the French social elites who were living in Cambodia and wanted to escape from the heat of Phnom Penh. During the 1950s and 60s under the control of Prince Sihanouk, the old French palace was used as a casino and a movie theatre.

How to get to Bokor national park

The national park is 8 km from Kampot and 95 km from Sihanoukville on the national road number 3. The main entrance of the park is about 1 km from the main road. It is 32 km from there to the summit of the old station.

In October 2008, the road to Bokor was officially closed due to the construction of a new road. However, after 4 years of construction, the road was finished at the end of 2012. Thanks to the new road, it shortens your time to come to Bokor, now it just takes 1 hour to arrive from Kampot. It is possible to book a trip to the national park through the local travel agents for around $8. You also can book a trekking tour in the town for $18-$20.

A Day In Bokor National Park- Where The French Architecture Stagnates

In August 2012, there's a direct bus to Bokor from the capital of Phnom Penh, it takes just 4 hours with the cost for $ 10.

The entrance fee is $0.50

What to see in Bokor national park

Ruins of The Black Palace

Ruins of the Black Palace is also known as Damnak Sla Khmao in the Khmer language. It is situated 10 km from the hill station where King Sihanouk used to linger in. It was built in brick and black wood in 1936. The doors and windows of the palace were gone but the structure is still intact. Stepping into the palace, you will find the amazing view of the cliff behind and also a beautiful sunset in the late afternoon.

The old Catholic church

The church was built in the 1920s by the French as a part of the French resort in Bokor. The church‘s interior is surprisingly well kept. Standing at the cliff, you will have a chance to see the beautiful and romantic views of the sunset.

A Day In Bokor National Park- Where The French Architecture Stagnates

Popokvil Waterfall

The popokvil waterfall is the most beautiful waterfall in Bokor national park, in the Khmer language, Popokvil means “swirling clouds” which is totally appropriate as most of the time the mists do whorl just above the waterfalls. The best time to visit this waterfall is in the rainy season from May to October when the waterfalls are full of water and mist flying above.

100 Rice Fields

In the Khmer language, this site means Veal Sre Mouy Roy. Like its beautiful name, you will be more surprised to see the real view of 100 Rice Fields where you can capture the tons of beautiful pictures. You can see the rock fields looking like hundreds of paddy fields which is divided by hundreds of dikes.

What to do in Bokor national park

There are a lot of activities to do in Bokor national park. You can join in the walking in duration from 2 hours to 8 hours. In order to know more about the details, you should ask for a guide or trekking arrangement at the trekking schedule. The cost of the tour often is around $7.00.

If you want to have a bike ride to wander around the park, you can come to Kang Bey tour to hire the bike.

There is an indoor children playground called Cloud 9 Kids club offering games, library, movies, crafts & canteen. Besides the children playground, there are also some entertaining zones for the adult in this region such as a disco club and karaoke rooms.

Coming to tours of Vietnam Cambodia Thailand, you will have the opportunity to visit one of the most beautiful but mysterious countries in the world, Cambodia. Cambodia now is willing to welcome you to discover its rustic beauty. If you want to know more about Cambodia destinations, feel free to contact us. Thank you and have a nice trip!